Centrifugal honey extractor



p I c. A. HUNGERFORD' 2,255,775

CENTRIFUGAL HONEY EXTRACTOR Fed Oct. 20, 1956 Patented Sept. 16, 1941.5: g: a

UNITED STATES,- PATENT OFFICE CENTRIFUGAL HONEY EXTRACTOR ClarenceArthur Hungerford, Kurrajong Heights, near Sydney, Australia ApplicationOctober 20, 1936, Serial No. 106,665

In Australia January 14, 1936 7 Claims. l Cl. 210-65) This inventionrelates to centrifugal honey kets and the interceptor plates swing ontheir extractors of the class in which the full combs hinge mountings intrailing order in relation to are first decapped or beheaded, thenplaced in the direction of rotation of the reel.

wire baskets in a cage centrifuge (generally In practice it is preferredto place the hinge known as a reel) and the honey extracted 35 mountingsat the peripheral part of the reel. from the comb cells by centrifugalforce and These hinge mountings may be fixed to the exejected into amonitor casing within which the treme ends of the baskets and theinterceptor reel is installed. plates as shown, or they may be fixed toplaces In one known centrifugal honey extractor, the on those parts nearto instead of at their ex-' decapped or beheaded combs are carried inbas- 10 treme nds. The pp r hinge centres m y e kets which lie upagainst the walls of the reel set closer to the axis of the reel thanthe lower with the mid-ribs of the combs disposed cirhinge centres. Thistilted hinging arrangement cumferentially; that is to say, with thecombs causes the baskets and the interceptor plates to lying flatwiseagainst the peripheral part of the H l y a y to radial o der W e the reereel. In the rotation of the reel, honey is ejected is at rest, but yetpermits them to swing laterally from the outwardly facing cells; the,reel and to acute angular positions and to overlap more the baskets arethen brought to rest, and the or less while the reel is in rotation.Loading and baskets (with the combs within them) are ren oading of thecombs is facilitated by the radial versed upon the direction of drive ofthe reel v disposition of the baskets while the reel is at rest. beingreversed for extraction of the honey from In the mon in Which the reelis housed, the remainder of the cells in the rotation in the a verticalspindle is carried on a susp bearreverse direction. ing and is geared toa drive shaft on the top In another known machine, th b k t in side ofthe monitor. This shaft is provided with which the combs are placed aredisposed radially a driving le d it es a r v s ble tra sand stand erectin the reel. In this machine, s n s A footstep yin rin may the honey isextracted only slowly, more parbe provided for an extension of the reelspindle ticularly from the comb cells which are located to prevent wying of the reel, but it is not a near the axis of the reel, and owingto the walls necessary part of the desi o e achi e.

of the comb cells being always at right angles A machine embodying theinvention is illusto the line of centrifugal stress, protractedOpertrailed in t accompanying draw in wh ch ation of the machine isnecessary to effect com- 1 is a V c Sectional e a o ow plete operationof the available honey, in hi h the monitor, the reel, the reversibletransmission case the necessarily prolonged centrifugal stress gear, andother P s Of the S ucture.

to which the combs are subjected tends to break 2 is a Partial p a h thetrans ission them. '35 gear removed, showing the reel with some of theIn contrast with these known machines, in Comb baskets and interceptorplates swung t0 the. machine of the present invention, beheaded one sideor the other of normal radial positions combs are placed in basketswhich are disposed into operative positions, according to the ecradiallyand vertically in the reel and are hinged ti f rotation f t r to thereel with liberty to swing to either one 0 1 Fig. 3 is a diagrammaticplan Show an anor other side of radial position, for instance n r aircirculator cover on t t p of the r according to the direction ofrotation of the reel, F 4 is a Partial Vertical nal e evation so thatthey Will take up positions acutely an ushowing the reel spindle withouta footstep tail larly to the radial line and lying in lap ed rd rextension, and showing the tilted hinger centres; while the reel is inrotation. The honey is thereand by caused to run freely from theoutwardly facing Fig. 5 is a ag y Plan view showing the cells under thestress of centrifugal action. modifiedarrangement in which e ge mount-It is very desirable to provide interceptor plates ings ofthe basketsand in e ept Plates are at disposed between the baskets and hinged tothe thevirlher eride of those bers. reel. When the reel is in rotationthese plates Hi t monitor casing and i2 s a b d swing with the baskets;they form partitions across its head. I3 and are two bearings forbetween the baskets and catch splashed-out the Shaft 5, and I6 is acrank handle. A double honey; this honey flows downwardly over them vpinion gear s feather keyed on the towards the periphery of the reel andfalls into Shaft t s adaptedto be shifted on the shaft the monitor,whence it is drawn off. The basto engag either one other p r extractedhoney.

V The gear ll may, however, be fixed on the drive shaft l5, as shown inthe drawing, and

in that case that shaft is fitted to be slidable endwise in its bearings13 and M to bring either one or other of the pinions into gear with thecrown wheel [8 for positive or negative direction drive, or into neutralposition, to disconnect the drive. A ball latch arrangement is fitted tohold the pinions on the shaft or to hold the shaft in its bearings in.any one of these'positions.

The reel 20 consists of an assembly of radial frames 23 which areattached to collar flanges.-

24 on the spindle [9. These frames are spaced symmetrically apart;they'carry angle rings 25 which are the peripheral. memberszof.the'reel.

Rigidity of the reel is ensured by radially disposed diagonal struts 26.

The angle rings 25 are drilled at 3l to carry pintles for the combbaskets 28, and at 21' to carry the interceptor plates 29. The upperpintle centres are preferably set closer to the axis of the'reelithanthe lower ones, as best seen in Fig. 4. The comb baskets 28 are eachconstructed of open mesh wirework on their four vertical sides;

, vening the baskets 28 and are carried by pintle pins 21 on the rings25 in the same way as the baskets: they are preferably slightly longer'in the radial direction than the baskets, and to stiffen them they arepreferably beaded on their inner edges as shown at 45. f

The spindle is runs'in a neck bearing 32, and optionally also in afootstep bearing 33. If a footstep'bearing is used it is protected fromdripping honey by a central cone shield 34 which rises from thebottom'35 of the monitor I l. It is, however, preferable to' omit thefootstep bear,-

other side of thecombs at 43 onto the other side of the interceptorplates at 44, and passes down, as before, to the sump.

, Air impelled by the rotating parts is drawn downwards through theopening 39 and moving radially outward passes with considerable velocitythrough the baskets 28, tending to sweep the honey from the combs. Theair discharges through the annulus 40.

The preceding description is sufliciently clear without supplementing itto explain the modified arrangement shown in Fig. 5, in which thebaskets and the interceptor plates are hung at or near their inner ends.

What I claimas my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A honey extractor comprising a rotary reel, 7 'a plurality'of holdersfor honeycomb on said reel, and means for pivotally supporting said ingand use a head bearing 33A (see Fig. 4) in order thus to offer aelear'receive'r sump for'the The monitor bottom forms the sump for thecollectionof the extracted honey. A honey drawoff cock3'l is'provided.An annular air baflle ring 38 is fittedon the top of" the monitor H'(Fig. 3) leaving a central space 39 round the bearing 32 for indraughtof air, and an annulus space to allow air driven by centrifugal actionto pass out.

In operation, the baskets 28 are charged with beheaded or decapped combscontaining'honey, and the reel 26 is rotated by means of the crankhandle H5, or may be by power. When the 1'0- holders on the reel insubstantially vertical positions in which the inner and outer portionsof the holders are held, during rotation of the reel, with the innerportions relatively close to the center of the reel and the outerportions relatively remote from said center and with the principalplanes of the holders extending tangentially to a circle coaxial withthe reel and which is small relative to a circle concentric therewithand intercepting the outer portions of the holders, said principalplanes of said holders extending more nearly radially than chordally ofthe path of movement of the outer limits of the holders.

: 2. In a, honey extractor comprising a rotor' mounted to be turned on asubstantially vertical axis, a series of holders for honeycombspivotally mounted for generally horizontal movement. on and relative tothe rotor, the combination of means limiting the pivotal movement of theholders in two directions so that the holders can occupy two operatingpositions in which the principal planes of the holders extendnonradially of the rotor, but morenearly radially thereof thantangentially to the path of movement of the outer limits of the holdersand more nearly radially than chordally to said path of movement,whereby the inertia force on the holders greatly predominates overcentrifugal force and'operatesto constrain the holders when carryinghoneycombs to movement from one operating position to the other bothupon initiation of and cessation of rotation of the rotor.

3. An extractor according to claim 2, wherein the holders are pivoted tothe rotor on axes that are inclined relative to the upright rotor axiswherebyupon cessation of rotational movement of the rotor, the weight ofthe holders tends to swing the holders into radial position with respectto the rotor.

tation is in-the right handed direction, as indicated by the arrow A,the inner ends of the baskets 28 and p1ates'29 lag asshown at C and cometo a crowded lapping position at their inner ends, each basket settingat an acute angle with respect to the radial line through its hingemounting and restin against respective adjacent interceptor plates 29.Honey is ejected from the combs through the baskets at M onto theinterceptor plates and onto the wall of the monitor H, and flows thenceto the sump. When the direction of rotation is reversed as shown by thearrow B the baskets and interceptor 1 plates swing'to and-lag atthe'other'side of the radial line, and the honey is then thrown from thel; A honey extractor comprising a carrier con structed and arranged torotate on an upright axis,'a series of comb holders pivoted on thecarrier, the pivots of the holders being disposed substantially upright,substantially equally spaced circumferentially of the carrier, andspaced substantially uniform distances remotely of the axis of rotationof the carrier, and honeyinterceptor plate members pivoted between theholders in circumferentially spaced relation to the pivots of adjacentholders, each plate member extending between twoadjacent holders andbeyond the same from the holder pivots in a mannerlo engage the twoadjacent holders as a are swung on their pivots in either directionthrough predetermined arcs.

5. A honey extractor comprising a rotatable reel, a symmetrical assemblyof holders pivotally supported on substantially vertical axes on thereel and in which the inner and outer portions of the holders are held,during rotation of the reel, with the principal planes of the holdersextending tangentially to a circle coaxial with the reel and which issmall relative to a circle concentric therewith and intercepting theouter portions of the holders, an enclosing casing supporting the reel,and means for turning the reel selectively in opposite directions;characterized in that the holders each swing to two non-radial positionswith their principal planes more nearly radially of the reel thantangentially chordally of the path of rotation of the outer limits ofthe holders, whereby each of the holders becomes shifted so thatrespective planes thereof move automatically from one side of the axisof rotation to the other consequent upon a reversal of the direction ofrotation of the reel.

6. A centrifugal honey extractor of the character described, comprisinga rotary reel, pivot axes, comb supporting members hung pivotally in thereel on said axes, said pivot axes being substantially vertical andparallel with the reel axis, and honey-interceptor plates hung in thereel between the comb supporting members and spaced therefrom andserving to prevent honey of a comb in one member from being thrown ontoa comb in an adjacent member.

'7. A honey extractor comprising a rotatable reel, a symmetricalassembly of comb supporting members pivotally hung thereon, an enclosingcasing, means for driving the reel in either clockwise orcounterclockwise direction, and pivot axes which are substantiallyvertical and parallel with respect to the reel axis and disposed atsubstantially uniform distances from the axis of rotation of said reel,said comb supporting members being arranged on said axes whereby thecomb supporting members swing to acute angular positions with respect toradial lines on either side of the radial lines according to thedirection of rotation of the reel so as thereby to facilitate extractionof honey alternately from the cells on the respective sides of combs inthe comb supporting members by centrifugal action in correspondence withthe direction of rotation of the reel, and interceptor plates disposedintermediate the comb supporting members and acting as deflectorsurfaces for honey coming from the combs in the respective adjacentmembers.

CLARENCE ARTHUR I-IUNGERFORD.

